


An Ocean Between the Waves

by NoheaAloha



Series: Ocean Breathes Salty [2]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Angst, But he's also going to grow, Child Abuse, Gen, If JJ is ready for it, JJ is going through it (as usual), JJ's getting a new family and it won't be easy for him, John B is going through it too, John B. needs one too!, Kie is going through it, Kie is going to try it with JJ, Rafe is going down, So is Pope, Weed, love triangle (kind of), poor pope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:36:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoheaAloha/pseuds/NoheaAloha
Summary: After the worst summer of their lives, JJ's struggling with getting out of juvie, paying off his debt to Barry and  balancing living between his dad and the Heywards. Kie's struggling with her relationships while avoiding getting sent off the island. Pope's struggling with keeping everyone together while trying to repair his scholarship chances and live with JJ part time. And John B.'s just trying to clear his name, get revenge and stay alive.
Series: Ocean Breathes Salty [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196402
Comments: 27
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

In the two days immediately following John B. and Sarah’s disappearance, no one saw JJ. It wasn’t even that he was aware he had gone missing, he completely sunk into a dark hole and was consumed by it. He went to the only place he could: the treehouse that he and John B. had found and fixed up in fourth grade, unable to go home to the Chateau.

He was exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep. When he did sleep, he had nightmares of John B. and Sarah drowning, the Phantom pulling them down. He stole a few times from the closest store, but could barely eat, feeling sick at the thought of food. He smoked weed a few times, and decided that he didn’t deserve the effect it had on him, but he couldn’t stop. It reminded him of John B. 

Cell service had been restored the morning after they disappeared and JJ had literally risked his life sneaking into his room at home to grab his phone, lurking in the woods, watching his house until his dad had driven away, crawling in through the window. He charged it in different bathrooms he had access too, waiting desperately for any news. He ignored the texts and calls that poured in at all hours from Kie and Pope, not ready to be near them yet. 

He knew he needed to go see them, but he didn’t want to be reminded of what they might have lost forever. As long as he was alone, he could stay in denial. He alternated between hiding in the treehouse and wandering around abandoned parts of the Cut, hoping that Pope and Kie wouldn’t find him before he wanted to be found.

On the second night of JJ’s adventure of living completely alone in his dilapidated childhood treehouse, he woke up to Kie scaring the shit out of him, climbing up silently.

She looked like she wanted to cry when she saw him and he felt the same way, like just seeing her brought everything back from that night. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings or reality or the idea that he might have sent John B. and Sarah to their deaths in his dad’s stupid speedboat. 

She crawled in and threw her arms around him and he froze before hugging her back after a second, wanting to let go, but needing it at the same time. He wanted to make a joke about how she usually would never hug him on his own or for this long but he didn’t have it in him. The old JJ would have been making all kinds of jokes about her sneaking out to see him at night, but the old JJ had left the island with John B.

“Where the  _ hell _ have you been, JJ? In here? Are you okay?” She demanded, shoving him when she finally let go. 

“Around.” He said, shrugging and scooting over for her to sit next to him. “Did you hear anything? I’ve been charging my phone when I could but I haven’t seen shit.” 

“What do you mean  _ around _ ? So you just ignored all of our calls and texts? You’re an asshole! We thought something had happened to you! Heyward said your dad was looking for you yesterday! We thought he had hurt you and you were lost somewhere!” She said and his stomach dropped that his dad was actively looking for him already. 

“Look, Kie. You see me? I’m  _ fine _ . Can we just meet at Heyward’s in the morning with Pope? We can make a plan then.” JJ said, wishing they weren’t crammed in here so it would be easier for him to escape the conversation.

“What? No, JJ! Just come back with me tonight, my parents are asleep!” Kie said.

“And have your parents wake up to see me at your house? They’d kill both of us. I’m fine here, Kie, I just gotta wait it out till my dad calms down.” They heard a noise below and both froze, looking at each other in fear when they heard movement on the ladder.

A face popped up to look in from the opening, but it was dark and they screamed before Kie turned her phone flashlight on and it shone on one of the last faces JJ ever expected to see in the treehouse. 

“Dad! How the hell did you find me?” Kie asked, turning the flashlight away from his face. The lighting made him look scarier than usual.

“You think after all this shit that happened, your mom and I don’t have your phone tracked? What the hell are you doing out here in this shack in the middle of the night? Is that JJ?” Mr. C said and JJ almost wanted to laugh when he tried to squeeze in, but it was overpowered by his urge to run away.

“I need to be there for my friends, Dad! JJ needs me!” She said and JJ appreciated her, but he didn’t agree and did not appreciate a Kie and Mr. C fight being brought into his treehouse in the middle of the night with him stuck in the middle. 

“You can’t be there for him during the daytime? Why the hell are you in this treehouse, JJ?” Mr. C asked and JJ stayed silent.

“His dad’s gonna kill him, Dad! He can’t go home right now and I had to check on him!” Kie said and JJ freaked out, in shock that she would say that. He was so used to John B. covering for him, that he hadn’t even realized how new the full picture of his dad was to Kie and how she would react. 

“What? What’s going on at home, JJ? I know you guys are going through a lot, but there’s a time and a place to communicate and this is not one of them. Especially at your age.” Mr. C said. “You need somewhere to stay?” JJ was shocked that he was offering, not that he would ever take him up on it. He didn’t need a sympathy stay at Kie’s mansion right now. Or to raise any more red flags.

His shock was followed quickly by anger at the thought of them discussing his home life like he was some kind of project for them to work on. He gave Kie a death stare and she glared back at him.

“No, I literally was just hanging out and fell asleep here by accident! I’m going home now, I don’t know what the hell Kie’s talking about!” JJ said, feeling for his backpack in the dark and crawling to get to the opening.

“JJ, wait! Don’t go home!” Kie said, grabbing his arm. “I’m sorry!”

He knew all of his friends wanted him away from his dad, but Kie didn’t get that telling adults wasn’t an option and it pissed him off. At least John B. never talked about it with others, as much as he told JJ to leave his dad and fought Luke on his behalf. His heart ached just thinking about him. 

“Kiara, I parked right behind you, go get in the car. This is ridiculous. JJ, I want you to come with us, you shouldn’t be out here alone at night like this.” Mr. C said and JJ didn’t know why he thought either of them would listen.

“Okay.” He said, feeling only slightly guilty when they both relaxed, Kie looking surprised. He saw her eyes narrow quickly as he made it to the ladder. 

“JJ, don’t!” She said as he dropped the seven feet and took off running. He wasn’t gonna be a social experiment for the Carrera’s or anybody else. 

“JJ!” She yelled again, coming down the ladder. He looked over his shoulder and yelled to her.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Kie!” He yelled, only stopping once he felt confident that neither of them were going to catch up or pursue him. He could still hear them arguing in the distance. 

Unfortunately for him, his time on the island was coming to an end. He just didn’t know it yet. 

* * *

At eight the next morning, he woke up on a hidden part of the beach. He changed into the only other shirt he had in his backpack, using the stolen deodorant he had and shoving his hat on. He knew he needed to eat and shower, he just couldn’t get up the energy to figure out how.

He made his way to Heyward’s, dragging his feet and checking his phone, trying not to think about the way his stomach rolled with nausea as he was reminded of everything that had happened. He stopped on the side of the road, rolling a blunt where no one could see before taking the back route to get there, slowly smoking it as he walked. He hated knowing that he was smoking weed on the Cut while John B. was either at the bottom of the ocean with Sarah or stranded at sea with her.

The bell to Heyward’s dinged as he walked in and he almost smiled when he saw Pope and Kie already there, heads snapping over to him as soon as he came in. 

Pope ran over and grabbed him like Kie had just a few hours before, squeezing him before yelling at him. “I’m so pissed at you! Don’t disappear again, JJ! We thought you were hurt or dead! Why didn’t you answer our calls? Why’d you run from Kie?” 

JJ held his hands up, smiling a little bit despite everything going on at the normality of it. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m a piece of shit.” 

Kie looked at him with concern, but Pope was pissed.

“Shut up, JJ. You’re not! You’re our best friend and we were fucking worried! Next time, fucking think about others!” Pope yelled. He was as pissed as JJ had ever seen him and he felt guilty. 

Kie and JJ looked at him with surprise. “Tell me how you really feel, dude.” He tried to joke, but he felt sick. He knew he was being a selfish asshole but he couldn’t help it. He had needed time to work himself out of his dark hole enough to face reality. They were all best friends, but John B. and him had always had a different kind of bond that he didn’t know if Kie or Pope fully understood.

“I’m serious, JJ. Kie and I have been sitting here thinking we might have lost another best friend. We thought you had run away! It’s fucking selfish.” Pope said, glaring at him. 

“Ok, ok! I’m sorry! I’m back now, okay? I’m back now.” He said, looking at them and swallowing a lump in his throat. 

“No, it’s okay, JJ. We were just worried. We’re just glad you’re okay. I’m sorry about last night. You’re an asshole for running, though.” Kie said, reaching out and touching his arm. She gave Pope a look and he relaxed too. 

“C’mon, Kie. What’d you expect? I had to run. Your dad’s obsessed with reporting my dad, so saying I can’t go home doesn’t help. I’ll be sent to Florida! Was he pissed?”

“I mean, duh, we both were. We’re all worried about you. I snuck out without my phone this morning, though. I’m sorry.” Kie said. 

“Don’t worry about me, I’m not the one literally missing at sea. Still no news?” JJ asked, going over to the counter and clicking the pens for something to do. He knew there hadn’t been news, he had been checking his phone almost nonstop since  _ that night _ , but he had to ask. 

“Nothing. They gave up looking. Kie and I took my dad’s boat and the drone out yesterday and searched and got nothing. And we went out far.” Pope said. He sounded angry again and JJ felt like shit that he hadn’t come sooner and helped with that.

“So that’s it? They just gave up looking already?” JJ said angrily, clicking the pen too hard and throwing it down when it broke. “Thought they’d at least pretend a little longer since Sarah’s a Kook.” 

“I mean they said they’re still looking, but we all know it’s bullshit. Ward definitely told them to call it off.” Kie said.

“Fuck. Fucking psycho.” JJ said, feeling sick to his stomach. “They’re out there. They’ve gotta be.”

He felt Pope and Kie look at each other and he got pissed, fast. “No. I’m not doing this again. This is not like Big John. This is our fucking best friend we’re talking about. John B. is our brother! We’re not giving up on him like everyone else. Or Sarah.”

“We’re not, JJ! But it doesn’t help when the entire island thinks John B’s a murderer and Ward and Rafe are just walking around free!” Kie said. 

“Fuck!” JJ said, looking around the store. “Do you have to stay here all day, Pope? We need to go out and look for them again.”

“I can’t leave, JJ, I’m working all day. We can plan here, though. The place has been dead the past few days anyways.” Pope said, going behind the counter and pulling out some paper. 

“Where did you go last night? Did you go home at all?” Kie said, putting her hand on his arm again.

“No, I can’t go home. My dad will literally kill me when he finds out about the Phantom.” JJ said, taking his hat off and scrubbing a hand through his hair before putting it back on again. He avoided their eyes. 

“ _ I’m _ a piece of shit.” Pope said. “I didn’t even realize….I was so high and I didn’t realize what that would mean for you, JJ. I’m so-”

JJ cut him off. “Shut up, Pope. It was my fault. I stole it, it’s not on you. I’m just gonna lay low until he cools down.” He was lying. He knew his dad would never get over it.

“It’s no one’s fault except your dad’s for being abusive, JJ.” Kie said.

“I stole his boat he’s had forever, Kie. Anyone would be pissed about that.” JJ justified. 

“I don’t care. You need somewhere to stay, clearly. You should stay with Pope. Or I can sneak you in. No parents this time, I promise.” Kie said.

He saw Pope look at her and remembered their kiss a few days ago. He opened his mouth to reject that idea when they were interrupted. 

“JJ? That you?” Heyward called, coming in through the back door. JJ immediately took a step backwards towards the door, remembering that Kie said his dad had come to Heyward. He was pretty sure that Heyward wouldn’t sell him out, but he didn’t know for sure. He cared a lot about listening and respect and all that bullshit and probably thought he needed to face the music at home. 

“Yep. Thought you had a day off, Heyward. Why’re you here on a Saturday?” JJ asked, hoping to throw him off if he acted normal. 

“You know how many people have been looking for you?” Heyward asked him, eyebrows raised. JJ shrugged, taking another step backwards. “Where the hell have you been?”

“At home. That a crime, now? I don’t always gotta be hanging around bothering everybody, do I? Thought you’d all be happy getting a break from me.” JJ said to him, walking backwards openly. 

“JJ, come on, dude.” Pope said and JJ gave him a look, not sure why he and Kie were both suddenly into calling his lies out in front of their parents. 

“You haven’t been at your damn house, don’t lie. Your daddy was here looking for you, angry as hell. He wasn’t looking too good, either. I want you to stay with us for a few days while we figure that out.” Heyward said to him. JJ absolutely was not going to do that and didn’t like the topic, so he walked away some more.

“Nah, I’m good cause I ain’t lying, Heyward. I’ll catch you guys later!” He said. 

The bell rang behind them to let them know a customer had entered. They all whipped around as they heard the static of a police radio. There were two cops, one of them was talking into his radio while the other held up a picture to compare JJ with.

“JJ Maybank? Don’t move.” The picture holder said. JJ immediately got up and launched himself around the counter, trying to make a break for it. He didn’t even know why they wanted him, but he knew enough that it wasn’t good and that it wouldn’t end well for him. 

Kie yelled at both him and the cops and so did Pope as the cops bolted after him and grabbed him, throwing him down onto the floor. He bit his tongue in pain, face pressed into the floor. Heyward was talking to them but he couldn’t hear what he was saying. 

“Stop resisting, kid.” One of the cops grunted as they tried to handcuff him. He heard Kie arguing with them and yelling at them about using too much force. The cops kept him on the ground as they turned to her. 

“Miss, we have a warrant for his arrest. Stand back before we take you for obstruction.” One of them said.

“A warrant? For what? He hasn’t done anything wrong!” Kie said. Pope went over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to back up. 

The cop who had JJ on the ground pulled him up and started walking him towards the door. “We have a warrant for your arrest due to your failure to appear in court for your hearing three days ago. We were unable to locate you or your guardian, so until you have appeared in court and your guardian has appeared with you, you will be waiting for your date in Wadesboro Juvenile Detention Center. Is that clear?”

JJ faded in and out as the officer talked, heart sinking with each word. He felt numb as he listened, head down. 

“Hold up! You’re taking him all the way to Wadesboro because he didn’t show up to a hearing? His daddy’s around, I just talked to him yesterday. Did you even try his house?” Heyward said, walking over to them. 

“Sir, I need you to step back. We’re doing what the Sheriff's department told us to do. Let us do our job and you do yours.” The one holding his arm said. 

He heard Kie fighting with the other officer before he was taken outside and shoved into the back seat of the car. He looked over and saw Kie arguing and trying to get to him, Pope next to his dad, looking terrified. 

“JJ! Don’t worry, okay? We’ll get you out of there as soon as we can!” Pope called through the glass. Kie started to cry as both cops got into the car. Heyward tried to talk to the other officer again, but they slammed the door.

JJ wanted to say something back to them but couldn’t. The glass was too thick, his tongue wasn’t working and he was forced to watch them disappear as the car drove forward. He heard Kie yell after them. 

He cursed himself for being so stupid that he forgot about the hearing he knew he had for Topper’s boat. He had been so focused on everything else, he hadn’t even thought about when it was. 

He didn’t know why he was being taken to juvie instead of them just taking his dad’s bail, but in a way he knew it would go over better with his dad. He knew he would rather have him locked up then lose more of his money. He figured Shoupe or the others at the police department wanted someone to pay for Peterkin and if they couldn’t have John B, he was the next best thing.

The cuffs were cutting into his wrists and his arms hurt from being pinned back as they drove. Neither cop tried to speak to him. He alternated between looking out the window and bouncing his knee up and down, letting his head fall back against the seat, blinking back tears. 

He had been sucked down deeper into the dark hole with no chances of getting out.

JJ tried not to totally panic when they crossed the bridge to the mainland. His worst fear was coming true, exactly like Peterkin and everyone had thought it would. They stopped after a while and one of the cops went into a McDonald’s to go to the bathroom. The other asked JJ if he needed to go to the bathroom or needed water and he shook his head. 

What he needed was to go back in time before any of this shit with the gold had started.

His stomach clenched when he thought of how he and John B. had gone to this very same McDonald’s last year when they had gone on their road trip and again just seven months ago when they had been forced on a field trip to Wadesboro with Peterkin. Only now he was alone and this definitely wasn’t a field trip. His stomach lurched as he thought about how they both might be dead.

They started driving again, JJ’s empty stomach lurching from the smell of their food and he almost threw up, days without any real food not helping. After another hour, they turned onto a terrifyingly familiar road, stopping at the gate before they were let through, passing the sign for Wadesboro Juvenile Detention Center. JJ hadn’t imagined that he would ever be back here, especially for something as stupid as missing a hearing for something Pope had done. 

“Alright, let’s get you to intake.” The cop said once they had stopped and he had pulled JJ out of the car. 

“Don’t I get a phone call or some shit like that? I didn’t even know I missed the hearing! My dad had the papers that said when. I didn’t want to miss it!” JJ said, talking for the first time since they had arrested him.

“Look, I don’t know the details. All I know is they couldn’t locate your father or you, someone steered us towards that store and we’re bringing you in for failure to appear. Your hearing’s in a few days, you’ll learn more then.” The cop said. 

His partner laughed and added, “You’re a big boy too, son. You can’t expect your daddy to do everything for you. Learn how to be responsible before you become an adult.” 

JJ felt a surge of anger and he zeroed in on it, letting it wash over his other emotions. “I don’t expect anyone to do shit. Especially not my fucking dad.” 

“Whatever, kid. Let’s go.” The cop said, shrugging like he didn’t give a shit and grabbing his arm. It made JJ angrier.

“I can walk by myself, I got legs, you fucking pig.” JJ said, jerking his body away. The officer reached for his shoulder and he did all he could to get him off, jerking away again. Another hand grabbed his other shoulder and he felt his vision swirling, trying to get away, unable to think of anything else. The other cop slammed him into the wall and called for backup when he resisted again. He tried to turn his head and bite one of their hands when he felt everything closing in on him, anything to get them off of him, feeling trapped.

“Relax, son. Or it’s gonna get much worse for you, trust me.” The man said. 

“Fuck you! Get off me and maybe then I can relax!” He said, face pushed into the wall. His heart was beating loudly and he felt the blood pounding in his head. His breathing was hard and fast and he could barely hear over his ringing ears. He felt hands on him, pushing him into the wall and then more grabbing him and forcing him inside the building. 

“Back off him, he’s panicking. You’ll get written up.” He heard a new voice say.

“The little shithead tried to bite me! I don’t care if he’s panicking.” He heard the original cop say.

He was pushed onto a bench and all hands were removed from him. He focused on breathing and another voice said. “In and out. Hold it for five seconds and release. That’s it. Good job, kid.”

As much as he didn’t want help from any of them, he forced himself to focus on the voice, breathing in and out until his vision cleared and he could hear fully again. He felt his body relax slightly as his breathing became normal. 

“There you go. What’s your name?” The same voice asked him. He shrugged one shoulder and scowled when he heard one of the original asshole cops say, “JJ Maybank.”

“JJ, can you stand up and come with me? Let’s get you into intake.” The same voice said. “If you come on your own, no one needs to touch you.”

JJ stood up and followed the man, glaring at the two cops who had brought him in and the third who he was sure had helped shove him into the wall. He heard one of them laugh at him and he almost turned around and kicked him. The tiny part of his brain that sounded like Pope told him not to be stupid so he didn’t.

“Wait, hold on a second, Hunter.” JJ heard a voice say and they stopped walking, Hunter turning towards the voice. 

“You’re that little troublemaker who came in on that tour with Sheriff Peterkin, aren’t you?”

JJ’s head snapped up at that. He had forgotten about Carter and his threat from the last time he came to juvie. 

“I was waiting for you. You remember what I told you, don’t you? You’re not gonna be happy with your choice, I promise you that, kid.” Carter said, shaking his head and taking his upper arm. JJ wondered if he had heard about Peterkin and John B.’s ‘role’ in it. 

“I’ll intake him, Hunter. We go way back.” He continued and Hunter looked a little concerned but he nodded and JJ was left with Carter.

“Kick your shoes off for me.” Carter said once they were in the small office, another officer wearing a DJS uniform standing by the door. 

JJ didn’t want to take off his shoes. He didn’t want to put on the ugly grey sweatshirt and sweatpants he saw on the shelves lining the walls. He didn’t want to willingly participate in the loss of his freedom. He wondered whether or not Peterkin was smiling down on his misery from above and he kind of wanted to flip her off.

* * *

Forty minutes later, he had been stripped of his clothes, his shoes and his identity, forced to go through a strip search and to change into his new ‘uniform’. Carter had asked him about his family and his mom and his dad and how to reach them and he barely answered, refusing to cooperate when Carter wouldn’t even tell him when his hearing was. 

He was more angry than scared as Carter had him turn around and face the wall. 

“Don’t I get a phone call? I mean, I was basically just ripped off the island and taken here. How is this shit legal?” He said immediately. The cuffs were put back on him and he had to resist the urge to kick him. 

“Thursday you get one. Don’t worry, your father has been contacted and he’ll find out you’re here once we reach him.” He answered, opening the office door.

JJ bit his tongue. As if his dad was the person he would call. He felt his stomach clench at the thought of his dad finally knowing where he was.

“Let’s go.” He said, dragging JJ through the door to the same dingy hallway as last year. “So, you and your little friend murdered Peterkin, right? It’s all over the news. You’re gonna wish you were the one who was missing at sea cause I’m gonna make you pay. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Who she was?” Carter said to him and JJ saw red at the mention of John B. and the injustice of being accused of such a sick thing. He must have been waiting until they were alone to bring it up.

He tried to yank his arm away from Carter, who tightened his grip and slammed him against the nearest wall, getting in his face. 

“Get the fuck off of me! I didn’t kill anyone!” JJ yelled, breathing hard at being handcuffed and trapped against a wall. He thrashed around, trying to get out of his grip, but he couldn’t. 

He grabbed JJ’s other arm, slamming him against the wall face first to try to daze him.

JJ started crying, only seeing splotches as his vision swam again, panic sinking in as Carter tried to pin him against the wall. “Get off me.” He cried as he moved around uselessly.

“Stop resisting!” Carter said before they heard Hunter’s voice.

“Carter, relax! He’s panicking again! Ease up!” He said. JJ was too in his own head to care how embarrassing it was, weakly trying to get away from his grip. 

“Who cares? He can’t pull away from me. What’ll that teach him? You’re too soft on them!” Carter said back, but he let go when Hunter took over, gently turning JJ back around. 

JJ sunk to the ground, crying, wishing his arms weren’t cuffed behind his back. He ducked his head down so that it was in the shoulder of his sweatshirt, hiding his face, taking deep breaths. 

Hunter coached him through how to take deep, controlled breaths again and he tried to focus on him. He calmed down slowly, heart still fast, but he kept his face tucked, not wanting to acknowledge the reality of his situation or see how pissed off Carter was.

“You have panic attacks like this a lot, JJ?” Hunter’s voice asked him.

“It wasn’t a fucking panic attack, he doesn’t want to own up to his actions. Stop treating them all with kid gloves. We’re all sick and tired of it. These little punks need a firm hand. They need to listen when we tell them to do something. They won’t change if we’re holding their hands like little girls.” Carter said.

He vaguely registered that Carter and Hunter seemed to be fighting it out before he was yanked up again.

“Get up and stop wasting everyone’s time. You do a crime, you do the time and face the consequences. Those tears won’t get you anywhere here.” Carter said and JJ’s stomach sunk when he didn’t see Hunter anymore. He didn’t think it could be any clearer that Carter was in charge here.

Carter forced him down the hallway, stopping at a cell just like the one he had made him go in last time to scare him. There were bunk beds and a third bed against the wall, a toilet and a sink. There were bars on the window and JJ wanted to turn and run.

“Everyone’s at dinner. Normally we’d take you there but since you’re such a little asshole, you can wait till tomorrow.” Carter said, throwing his clothes on a bed, uncuffing him and walking out. JJ bit the inside of his cheek in anger, before shaking his wrists out again, sitting down and waiting. 

Five minutes later, he heard the sound of voices coming down the hallway. He heard yelling, laughing and fighting as they got closer and he tensed up. He knew he was going to have a problem being closed in such a small room with two strangers.

“Look, we got fresh meat!” He heard as others walked past. One stopped and leaned in. “What’s your name? And what’d you do?” The kid smiled at him and he almost would have smiled back, if he could still smile. 

“JJ. And I don’t even fucking know.” 

“Sounds about right. I’m Jose. I’m here because I stole my girlfriend’s mom’s car and she didn’t like that.” Jose laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

JJ smiled a little.

“We’re with Josh and he’s a fucking asshole. Try to just ignore him.” Jose said as he came in and sat on the other bed.

“Who the fuck are you calling an asshole, you piece of shit?” JJ heard. 

He tensed up, ready to fight if he had to, even if it was the last thing he wanted to do.

“That’s the fresh meat? A little surfer bitch? I think you’re in the wrong place, man. This isn’t Malibu Barbie’s dreamhouse.” The person who JJ assumed was Josh said as he entered the cell. He was stocky and full of anger and JJ immediately knew he would lose to him in a fight. He didn’t care and channeled his anger anyway.

“I’m in the right place, motherfucker. Maybe you’re in the wrong place.” He said. 

Jose made a noise from the bed and said, “Ah, shit.” JJ didn’t know if he had fucked up or not but he didn’t care.

Josh glared at him before laughing. “Ok, maybe you’re not a pussy bitch after all. Welcome to room 42.”

JJ didn’t laugh back.

* * *

“I need Maybank.” JJ heard as he sat at his desk in what he thought was English class a week and a half into his stay. The ‘teacher’ was basically just fucking around on his phone while they all did whatever they wanted and the officer at the door was texting.

He looked up and saw another officer talking to his teacher. The teacher nodded and he was 100% sure he had no idea who Maybank even was, he was just happy for one of them to leave. 

The officer waved for him to come with him and he stood up, happy to get out of the room. He barely dodged getting hit with a slip-on that was being lobbed across the room during some kind of shoe fight. 

“You have a visitor. Come with me.” The officer said as they started to walk down the hallway. 

JJ got excited for the first time since arriving when he realized it must be Kie and Pope. He still hadn’t been able to talk to them since getting there and he was dying to hear from them and see if there was any news about John B. or Sarah. 

He followed along happily anyway, without realizing that it wasn’t even a visitation day so it couldn’t be Pope or Kie.

He froze in the doorway when he saw his dad sitting at one of the gritty tables in the visitation room, feeling his blood run cold.

“No, I don’t want to visit with him. Don’t I get a say?” JJ said before they entered the room.

“Your parents and guardians have a right to see you.”

JJ thought about refusing, but he had seen enough since arriving to know what that looked like, especially since he knew this officer was friends with Carter. He didn’t really want to be slammed into a wall and handcuffed, only to still be forced into the same room as his dad. He hesitated and the officer grabbed him and roughly pushed the button to open the door. 

“Go in. You have fifteen minutes.” 

JJ’s eyes were locked on his dad’s face, but when his dad looked up at the sound of the buzzing door, he dropped his gaze to his shoes, terrified of the anger he saw there.

JJ felt a slight comfort in seeing that there was some lawyer, a mom and another ‘prisoner’ in the room, too. His dad wouldn’t be able to actually kill him with all of these witnesses. At least he hoped. He had seen some crazy shit fly here so far.

The officer walked him over to the table and sat him down across from his dad, roughly. He sat stiffly, looking at the table. When his dad didn’t speak, he looked up before looking back down when he saw his dad’s face.

“If they weren’t here, I would probably kill you before I could stop myself, I swear to god.” His dad finally said. JJ knew he wasn’t exaggerating.

He could see his dad’s hands clenched around the metal table. “I’m sorry, Dad.” He said. And he was. He was sorry for taking his boat. He knew his dad had loved that boat more than anything. It was how his parents had met. In Florida, at the speed boat championships. He didn’t blame him for wanting to kill him.

“When you get out of here, you’re gonna get me a new boat. I don’t give a shit what you have to do to get the cash.” Luke said. “However you did that little trick before with the 25k. You’re gonna do it again.”

JJ felt himself snap slightly when he thought of everything that was waiting for him if and when he ever made it back to the island. Barry was probably still after him, he owed him an amount of money he couldn’t conceive of and now his dad wanted the same. 

“When I get out of here, I’ll probably be paying back 25k I stole from your fucking dealer, Dad. I can’t get you shit. I’ll be working off the 25k you refused to spend on the restitution and that’s why I’m fucking in here! Half of it was probably your money anyways.” JJ said, glaring at his dad. He felt more confident knowing his dad couldn’t touch him.

“Feeling brave since I can’t beat your ass in here? I don’t give a shit about any of that. You can find a way or you can forget about getting out of here. I don’t need to sign you out. You can go to foster care for all I care at this point. Or your stupid grandma who babies you so much.” Luke said. JJ looked at him to see if he was telling the truth and he couldn’t tell. His dad was a good liar. It’s where he had gotten it from.

“I’m sorry.” He said, not sure if he was apologizing for the boat or the money. He just knew that was his worst fear and he was pretty sure his dad knew it too.

“I don’t give a shit. They said you have a hearing in three days and that you’re gonna get released onto probation. But only if I show up to the hearing.” His dad said, looking at him for his reaction.

JJ bit the inside of his lip and glared at the table. He needed to get out of here as soon as possible to get back to Kildare and help Pope and Kie. He couldn’t stand spending another second here and he knew his dad knew it. Even if he was going to beat him within an inch of his life when he got out.

“Are you gonna show up?” He asked, keeping his eyes on the table.

“Haven’t decided yet. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. You don’t fucking deserve it, that’s for sure.” Luke said and JJ knew what he wanted to hear.

“Will you please show up, Dad? I’ll find a way to get you the money.” He asked, forcing himself to look at his dad.

“We’ll see.” Luke said, but JJ could tell he was gonna be there. His dad was an asshole like that. 

* * *

“JJ? Is that you?” He heard through one of the big, red phones they had in the calling area. He smiled and turned towards the phone more so the others wouldn’t see.

It was Thursday and he was finally allowed to make a phone call. His first phone call last Thursday had been a waste because he had been forced to use it to talk to his public defender, who had wasted their whole phone call just trying to locate the file on JJ’s case in his messy office, speaking to him for approximately five minutes before hanging up, giving him no real information on his situation.

“Yeah, of course it’s me. Who else would be calling you from Wadesboro?” He tried to joke. “Did you hear anything new about John B.? And Sarah?” He asked, gripping the phone tightly and squeezing his eyes shut as he waited.

“Not yet. But Pope worked some magic and got a list of some of the boats that were said to have been anywhere near Kildare the morning after. We’re gonna try to contact all of them.” Kie said and he heard Pope in the background telling her to put it on speaker.

“That’s awesome. That’s a great idea, Kie.” JJ said. “Pope, what have you been doing, dude? You’ll be happy to know that they have like, year round school in here so I’ve already started.”

“All we’ve been doing is worrying sick over you and John B. and Sarah. No one’s having any fun here, I promise.” Pope’s voice came through and he could tell he was right next to Kie. “That’s good though. I bet you love that. How is it in there?”

JJ heard the guilt in Pope’s voice and knew he thought it was his fault. He looked over his shoulder as he heard yelling and saw a fight breaking out in the other room between two other kids and a guard. He held the phone closer to his mouth, hoping they wouldn’t hear.

“It’s ok. I just wanna come home though. My hearing isn’t for another few days, but my dad said I’m gonna be released soon on probation, so that’s good.” He said.

“Thank god! Wait, what do you mean your dad said? He was there?” Kie asked.

“They made me meet with him. And no, nothing happened, there were guards all around. But yeah, next week, I’m hoping I’ll be on my way back and we can all start looking again. As long as my dad signs me out.” He said.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Kie asked.

“He’s so pissed. I don’t know, he was threatening to just leave me here and let me go to foster care or to Mimi. But I think he’s gonna show.” JJ said. He would never usually confess any of this to them, but he was exhausted and missed his friends and it just came out.

“What! What the hell? Is he gonna show or not? Maybe I can get my dad to talk to him.” Pope said. JJ freaked out at the idea.

“No, Pope! It’s fine, he’s coming. He just does shit like that to be a dick. He always has. I don’t want your dad to go near him.”

“That’s so messed up, JJ.” Pope asked before he paused. “What’s that noise?”

“There’s just a lot of noise here, dude. Like all the time.” JJ said. “So my hearing’s on Monday. And then they’ll tell me how much more time I have here before probation. But at least I won’t owe 25k to them anymore. Just to Bar-” He was cut off when the fight hit the glass window of the room he was in and the other guards turned on the alarm. 

“JJ? Are you ok? What’s-” Kie was cut off by a dial tone as the phones were cut off and they were yelled at to go back to their rooms. 

He pushed a button on the phone, trying to get it to connect again before kicking the wall in anger. A guard yelled at him and grabbed him, pushing him towards the hallway.

He was pushed into the wall by some random kid and he snapped and pushed him back, knocking him to the ground. The guards were so busy with the other fight that they didn’t notice. The kid stood up and punched JJ in the face and JJ went to hit him back before they were noticed and ripped apart. 

He slipped down the hallway and into the chaos before he could be grabbed again and went to his room, hoping that he wouldn’t be written up for it.

He couldn’t wait to be out of here.

* * *

On Monday, JJ was handcuffed and shoved into the backseat of the DJS van with three other boys who had hearings. There was a fight on the way and JJ scooted as close as he could to the window to stay out of it. He bit his cheek when his seat was kicked and forced himself to not react. He needed to get out as soon as possible.

The first boy went into his hearing and JJ and the two others were taken into a small room to wait, the officers laughing together nearby and yelling at them when they so much as looked at each other. 

JJ lit up when he saw movement from the window on the door and saw Kie and Pope waving at him. Another boy noticed and looked over before saying, “Is that your girl? She’s fucking hot. I’d hit that, for sure.”

JJ did everything he could to hold himself back from kicking the living shit out of the other boy. He forced himself to focus on Kie and Pope and they both shook their heads at him, letting him know to not engage. He gave them a miniscule nod back before they were moved along by other officers. 

When it was JJ’s turn, he was taken into the courtroom through the side door like he had always seen on tv. He saw Pope, Kie and Heyward sitting in the room and he forced himself to smile at them. He was embarrassed that they were seeing him like this. 

He was shoved into a seat next to his public defender, who didn’t look up from his phone.

“Are we ready to begin?” The judge asked.

“We’re waiting on his guardian.” JJ’s lawyer said. 

“We’re behind schedule. If he isn’t here in five minutes, we’ll have to reschedule.” The judge said. JJ’s knee started bouncing rapidly and his heart rate increased. He thought he could hear Kie and Pope whispering behind him, but he ignored it, embarrassed.

JJ’s lawyer didn’t seem to care either way because he just shrugged. Four painful minutes passed before the doors opened and his dad came in. JJ looked over his shoulder and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. 

HIs lawyer stood up and gestured for his dad to sit on the other side of JJ. JJ scooted a little closer to the lawyer, not wanting to be anywhere near his dad, especially while handcuffed. His dad noticed and gave him a nasty look. JJ could tell he had just done some shit in the bathroom before coming in here, pupils dilated.

“Mr...Maybank? This hearing was scheduled to begin twenty minutes ago. We almost sent your son back to Wadesboro and had to reschedule. Be on time, if there is a next time, sir.” The judge said, giving his father a look.

His dad just raised his eyebrows before looking at JJ and JJ could tell he had done it on purpose just to scare him. He had probably been there the whole time.

JJ’s lawyer and the snobby lawyer for the Thorntons’ discussed the case for a few minutes, talking with the judge about terms and things JJ didn’t understand. He tried to follow along but he was exhausted and stressed out. He noticed none of the Thorntons’ had driven the three hour drive. They probably didn’t even remember this had happened, even though his life was being destroyed by it.

The judge asked his lawyer a few questions that the lawyer had to ask his dad. Luke didn’t know the answer to most of the questions and JJ answered them before being told that they needed his dad to give them the information. JJ almost laughed, because his dad didn’t know shit about him or the situation.

Finally the judge let him know that he was sentenced to twenty-one days, but he had served fourteen of them already and would be released into his father’s custody next Monday, and would be on probation for a year. He was told that they understood that he wouldn’t be able to pay the restitution, so time in juvie and nine months of community service would be done instead. 

That made JJ mad, even though he tried to pretend not to be since his dad, Pope, Kie and Heyward were all there. If he had known he would have ended up here in a courtroom anyways, he would have never even thought about stealing from Barry. Since it turned out he hadn’t even needed that 25k.

When it was over, the DJS officer came over and took his arm, pulling him up and taking him towards the side door. He turned towards Pope and Kie to say something to them, but he couldn’t think of what to say. 

“JJ! We’ll be there Monday for you. Don’t worry. Stay safe and we’ll fix it all soon, I promise.” Kie called to him. 

“We’ll call you Thursday. Try to avoid any fights going on so we can get you home.” Pope added. 

JJ nodded at them and was pulled closer to the door. He saw his dad already walking towards the door and saw Heyward walking towards him. He was pulled through the door before he could see what happened and tried to plant his feet on the ground. He was terrified of how that situation in the courtroom would turn out. 

“Jesus, wait! I’m just trying to say bye to my friends. Can’t I have thirty seconds?” He said to the guard, trying to yank himself free. 

“No. There’s another hearing. Move or I’ll get back-up.” The guard said, pulling him more. 

“Fucking asshole.” He said under his breath. He would have to wait until Thursday to know what happened between his dad and Heyward. Not to mention any updates with John B. He was beyond pissed and anxious. 

“What did you say?” The officer said.

The old JJ would have said it again. He would have said it louder. The new JJ didn’t answer. He did a lot of that in here.

He missed the old JJ. But more importantly, he missed the old JJ’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sequel to Ocean Breathes Salty so if anything doesn't make sense, that's because it happened there! 
> 
> Next chapter...JJ gets out of juvie, but there's a delay. Barry has a job for him and he'll start staying with the Heywards (kind of), but how long will it last? He'll be bouncing around a lot between the Heywards and his dad in this story, trying to find his place (he'll even try it with Kie's family). John B. and Sarah will be back too, it felt so wrong not having him here! 
> 
> I don't know how long this will be, definitely nowhere near as long as Ocean Breathes Salty or how much it will be updated, but JJ will be going on a journey again of course! He will be struggling breaking away from living with his dad, working for Barry, helping John B. and Sarah and realizing that maybe he deserves more than he's been getting in life. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

“They’re alive, JJ!" Kie said to him through the phone when his call finally went through four days before he was scheduled to be released. 

JJ felt like his entire world had exploded in color, he was so happy. He almost couldn’t believe it, wanting to make sure it was real and he wasn’t dreaming. 

He asked a million questions, trying to hide the fact that he was almost crying in relief as Pope and Kie answered them. Apparently, they had made it to the Bahamas and were working on figuring out how to get home to try to clear their name. They hadn’t said a lot about the gold, but JJ didn’t care. He just wanted his friend back and Ward and Rafe in jail. 

It killed him that he couldn’t talk to John B. and it was the second longest time they had ever gone without talking, but he was so happy that he almost didn't even care.

“When are they coming back?” JJ asked, unable to stop his mind from racing with questions. “Can we call him? What’s his number? What am I doing talking to you two idiots when I could be talking to John B?” 

“Shut up, JJ.” Pope said and JJ just _knew_ he and Kie were smiling. He cupped the phone to his mouth again like he always had to, trying to drown out the sounds of a fight that was about to break out. 

“John B. has to call us because he doesn’t have a phone. He’s been borrowing them. It’s a good thing Sarah’s with him because he didn’t remember any of our numbers. Dumbass.” Kie said, laughing. 

“Damn, why the hell do I have to wait four more days till I can go home? This is bullshit.” JJ said, frustrated. He wanted to be home with them more than anything, getting the Chateau ready for John B. and Sarah and planning how to clear their names. 

“I know it is. We’ll be there Monday though, okay, JJ? Will you be okay? Remember, just listen and stay in the background like we talked about.” Kie said and JJ almost wanted to laugh because that was easier said than done. Especially with Carter on his case for ‘murdering Peterkin’. He had quickly realized that the man had been in love with her and he figured it was just his luck that he had been sent to the one juvie where her obsessed lover worked. 

“I'm cool. Don’t drive here, though, Kie. My dad’s coming so I can just meet you guys once we get back.” JJ said, stomach flipping at the thought of being alone with his dad for hours after sinking his boat. 

There was a pause and the fight in the background was getting louder and JJ heard Carter’s voice yelling and he thought the phones had been cut off again before he realized Pope was murmuring something to Kie. 

“What?” He asked them, turning to look over his shoulder anxiously. He turned back towards the phone quickly when Carter made eye contact with him. His life had no shortage of assholes, that was for sure. 

“Don’t get mad, JJ.” Pope started and JJ’s hand clenched around the phone, knuckles turning white. Every time something started with those words, he got mad instantly. 

“What, Pope? Spit it out, man, a fight’s about to go down here.” 

“I talked to my parents. And they talked to your dad and tried to get him to agree to let you stay with us, at least for a little bit.” Pope started, hesitating.

“I’m sorry, what? You did what? Why would you do that!” JJ said, getting upset. He knew his voice was loud but he didn’t care. 

“Because we’re scared, JJ! We’re scared he’s gonna kill you! Don’t get mad at us for trying to keep you alive!” Kie said, taking over. 

“He’s not gonna kill me, Kie! He never has before! You had no right to do that! Tell them it’s not true! You're gonna get me sent away!” JJ said again, not able to understand why they were suddenly talking about this to everyone. 

“Listen, JJ! Just shut up and listen, okay? Your dad said no but my parents said you can stay here! No foster care, no Florida, just here, with me! My dad called Wadesboro an hour ago and talked to the head guy and he said he’d talk to you about your dad and if you admit he hurts you sometimes, then he could help you get released to us! You’ve gotta do it!” Pope said, worked up. JJ’s blood ran cold. 

“He did what?! To Carter?” JJ asked quickly, running a hand through his hair angrily. “Was it Carter?” 

“I think..?” Pope trailed off. “Just tell him the truth so you can stay, okay? This can finally be it! You can get away from your dad!” 

JJ didn’t have words for that. He didn’t want to get away from his dad. Well, he did sometimes, but he didn’t want to actually _live_ with someone else. He owed his dad a lot and they loved each other. He couldn’t believe they had told Carter and the Heywards all of this. 

“No, Pope! What the fuck? He’s my dad! I’m not leaving him! Screw you! Do you know what you just did to me?” JJ said, angry and terrified. The fight finally erupted behind him and Pope’s answer was drowned out. The alarm blared again and the phones were disconnected. JJ hit the buttons angrily to try to reconnect and slammed it down, turning to get away from the noise and go back to his room, pissed off and anxious, good mood ruined. 

He made it to the hallway before he was grabbed by the upper arm and dragged in the opposite direction, away from everyone else. He automatically pulled away, heart beating fast before he was slammed into the wall. He looked into Carter’s eyes, right as the alarm turned off. 

“Pull away from me again and I won’t be so nice to you, you little murderer.” Carter said, grabbing his arm again and handcuffing him. There was no one else around, everyone evacuated to the Rec Room. “You looked angry on the phone. Did you hear? I just got a call from a very concerned adult who says your daddy has trouble keeping his hands to himself and so you shouldn’t be released to him. That true?”

JJ stayed rigid, furious with Pope and Kie for putting him in this situation. He couldn’t talk about his dad with Carter of all people. “No, sir.”

“I have no problem with a parent doing what they have to do to get their kid in line, so you can be honest with me. It’s not gonna change my mind. I’m not actually gonna change who you leave here with cause I don’t give a shit. Especially not about you.” Carter said.

“He doesn’t have a problem.” JJ snapped.

“Be careful. I can extend your stay so quick, you’ll blink and be here for months.”

“I didn’t do anything!” JJ said, feeling like crying from the unfairness.

“You’re being disrespectful. Keep it up and you’ll see.” Carter said and JJ looked at him and saw him smirking. He bit his cheek, forcing himself to calm down.

“Does your daddy knock you around?” 

“ _No_.” JJ said forcefully. He didn’t think this is how the Heywards imagined this conversation going.

“Come on, just admit it. I don’t give a shit, I’m not gonna try to get in the way of you going home with him. In my opinion, he doesn’t do it enough if you’re like this. I was just curious.”

JJ saw red. “He doesn’t! Fuck you! You don’t know shit!” He yelled.

" _There_ you are. I haven’t been buying your whole ‘I’m scared and innocent’ act. You’re a little punk, just like the rest of your friends in here. I mean, if we had it my way, we’d be using corporal punishment in here on you all.” Carter said, leaning away and smirking. 

“Screw you!” JJ said, unable to think of what else to say. He pivoted helplessly towards the Rec Room before realizing his situation and that he couldn’t just walk away from him.

“Let’s add a week to your time here for that.”

“No! You made me say that! You said that shit to me on purpose!” JJ said desperately, almost breaking down in tears at the thought of having to stay there longer.

“I didn’t make you do anything. When will you and everyone else here realize that you make yourself do everything you’ve ever done? No one can _make_ you do something. Say another word and I’ll add another week.” Carter said. 

JJ wondered if Peterkin knew what a power tripping asshole Carter was. Or had known. Even she hadn’t been like this.

“Please, don’t.” He forced himself to say, hating himself.

“You just added another week. Two more weeks here now. I said, say another word and I’ll add a week. You’re not very smart, are you?”

JJ opened his mouth to protest before realizing that he couldn’t. He couldn’t hold back frustrated tears and quickly wiped his face on the shoulder of his sweatshirt as much as he could, staying quiet.

“All of you are the same. You act all tough but when it comes down to it, you’re just scared little pussies. I bet you weren’t feeling too scared when you got Peterkin murdered, were you? You should be locked up for life. You don’t know who she was.” 

JJ forced himself to stay silent. He couldn’t believe that he now had to stay there for two more weeks and wanted to get away from him before it got worse. He wanted to argue back and defend himself so badly. He had had nothing to do with Peterkin getting killed.

“Let’s go. I can’t stand looking at you, knowing you’re getting away with it.” Carter said, approaching him. JJ was tempted to tell him all about Rafe and how he was the one who had murdered Peterkin, but he didn’t think he would believe him and didn’t want to add time. 

It took everything JJ had to not say anything, jaw clenched, holding back more tears as he reached for his arm. He walked with him, eyes on the ground. He couldn’t believe what had happened. And he hadn’t even done anything wrong. He tried not to be pissed at Pope and Kie and to channel his anger towards Carter, but he couldn’t help but feel betrayed. If they hadn’t done that, he would be out in four days.

Carter uncuffed him and shoved him down at a table with some random assholes who JJ knew he knew he usually avoided, laughing and walking away. 

JJ got up immediately, hands in his hair, trying to control his breathing and fighting back tears. 

He didn’t know if he was going to be able to survive two more weeks here. 

* * *

Kie and Pope were both beyond pissed at Carter when they heard what had happened, even though he had made up another reason for why. Kie told him to file a complaint and he just laughed, knowing it would be useless. They had been mad about him lying to Carter, but Pope had apologized profusely and JJ had listened to his every word, wanting to stay mad, but unable to, lonely and knowing that deep down Pope and Kie had just wanted to help. He didn’t say he accepted it, but he moved on to talk about John B. and Sarah instead.

For the entire two weeks, he avoided every potential fight, knowing even Kie and Pope would be impressed if they saw him walk away from fights that people started with him. He avoided Carter as much as he could, even though the man wouldn’t leave him alone. He stayed totally silent around him though, doing everything he could to stay calm.

When the day finally came that JJ was due to be released, he anxiously paced in his room, waiting to be taken to the outtake area. If he had barely been eating when John B. went missing, it had gotten ten times worse after his hearing, too stressed out about messing up and getting his time extended again to relax. As much as he wanted to go back to the Cut, he was terrified of going home with his dad.

After what felt like hours, a DJS officer finally came and told JJ to get his stuff because his father was here and he could be released into his custody. JJ’s stomach clenched and he almost threw up, but he thought of finally going home and pushed it down.

JJ broke out into a huge smile when he saw Pope and Kie waiting on the other side of the window to the outtake room, forgetting his anger at them entirely. His smile dropped a lot as he saw his dad there, signing papers with an officer, but he kept it on for them.

“No touching.” The officer snapped as Kie moved forward to hug him. She stopped and they both waited as he was handed his original belongings. He immediately put his hat and boots back on. The clothes would have to wait until he got to a rest stop.

“I’m sorry, JJ.” Pope said as they walked over to him. JJ was still angry about him telling his parents, but he was so happy to see him that he couldn’t blow him off. 

“It’s whatever, Pope. Just tell your parents you made a mistake, okay? Did you hear from John B. or Sarah again? Are they coming home soon?” He asked. He saw Kie and Pope look at each other and he got annoyed.

“Why’re you looking at each other? Are they coming or not?” He knew he was being aggressive but he couldn’t help it. He had been out of the loop for weeks.

“Not yet, JJ.” Kie said.

“Let’s go. We got a three hour drive. Stop wasting my time.” His dad called from the desk. JJ flinched and looked over at him, his feet automatically moving towards him.

“JJ…” Pope said. 

“I’ll see you guys at home, ok? Sorry you drove all the way here for nothing. Meet at Rixon’s tonight?” He paused on his way towards his dad.

“Yeah, of course.” Pope said. JJ noticed Kie was holding his hand and he felt kind of left out, knowing that they were together now and he was going to be the third wheel. He tried not to think about how the Pogues were split into couples now, except for him.

“It’s fine, guys. Stop worrying, it’s just my dad. I’ve dealt with the dude my whole life and he's had a whole month to calm down. I’ll see you tonight.” He said quietly before going over to his dad. He knew they were watching him go, so he stayed as far from his dad as possible until he was sure they couldn’t see him anymore, just in case he snapped.

“Get in.” Luke said as they got to the car. JJ got in and tensed, waiting for his dad to start beating the shit out of him. He kept his hand near the handle, ready to jump out if he had to, but he didn’t do anything, starting the car. JJ stayed close to the door, tense and waiting for it for the whole first hour of the trip. He could tell his dad was wired, his hands clenching and unclenching around the wheel.

He felt his stomach roll again when his dad started smoking with the windows up. Between the exhaustion and anxiety, lack of an appetite and constant dehydration, he knew he was going to throw up. JJ had no choice but to ask his dad if they could stop at a rest stop when he knew he was about to lose it.

“No, I don’t give a shit if you have to take a piss. You can hold it. You wasted enough of my time already having to pick up your dumb ass.”

“I’m gonna throw up, Dad. Pull over!” JJ said, trying to roll down the window before he remembered it had been jammed shut since the time his dad had smashed his head into it in ninth grade. 

“Throw up in here and see what happens, JJ.” Luke said, as if it was a choice.

“Dad, I’m-” He didn’t get to finish as he threw up all over his own lap. His dad immediately pulled over onto the side of the road and slammed his fist into the side of his head before pushing his head down closer to his lap.

JJ put a hand up, trying to stop him, but his dad was done, probably deciding that he didn’t want to get closer to the throw up. 

JJ wiped the tears that had fallen from when he threw up and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the stars. His head was throbbing now and he grabbed the door handle to try to get out and change out of his now vomit-covered, stupid, grey juvie sweatpants.

His dad accelerated quickly, swerving back onto the highway right when he popped the door open slightly. He barely managed to slam it shut when he realized they were driving again.

“You’re not getting out and changing. You can stay like that. It’s what you deserve, stealing my boat.” Luke said.

“What? I have my clothes in the bag, Dad. I need to change!” His dad had done a lot of shit to him before, but he had never made him sit in his own vomit.

His dad didn’t answer and he tried to hold it back again but the smell of the smoke and the feeling of the vomit on him caused him to dry heave. 

He reached for his bag of clothes anyways because it was unbearable and pulled out his t-shirt. His dad hadn’t exactly said he couldn’t wipe it off.

“So you don’t listen anymore? I told you to leave it.” His dad said. 

“I just want to wipe it off.” JJ said, looking over at his dad. He felt sick and didn’t know if he could hold it back if he had to stay like this.

His dad didn’t answer so he wiped it up and put the shirt back in his bag, trying not to let it ruin his other clothes.

They hit a split in the highway and his dad turned towards the signs for Atlanta instead of the ones for Raleigh.

“I thought we were going home.” JJ said nervously.

“Nah. You don’t want to listen. You sunk my boat. I’m done with this shit. Your fucking grandma can take you. I’ve been stuck with you for years. If I take you home, I might kill you.” Luke said, speeding up.

JJ freaked out. He had to go home. He had to help John B. and Sarah get home. He had to meet Pope and Kie later so they could make a plan. He didn’t even have his phone charger with him.

“No, _please_ Dad! I have to go home! Please don’t make me go there. Please. I’ll get you the money for a new boat, I swear! I’ll move in with Pope so you never have to see me. Just please don’t take me there! I have to go home.” He begged. He didn’t care if it was embarrassing.

His dad didn’t say anything. JJ couldn’t help it. He started crying. Not loudly, but still. Everything from the past month was hitting him hard. He could handle a lot, but another obstacle like this was too much.

“Shut up. You’re just like your mom.” His dad said, reaching his hand out and shoving him. If JJ had been thinking clearly, he would have realized that his dad didn’t even know where Mimi lived and that this was definitely just one of his bullshit scare tactics.

They drove for ten more minutes before they hit standstill traffic. As soon as his dad had slowed the car down, JJ popped the door open, grabbed his backpack and ran. He heard his dad yell after him but he shot into the trees on the side of the highway and kept running.

He stopped after a few minutes and listened, panting and looking back. He grabbed his shorts from the bag, ripping the sweatpants off from juvie, throwing them into the woods and pulling the shorts on instead. He grabbed his backpack and walked the opposite way along the highway from where his dad had been. He peeked out from the trees for his dad’s truck and when he didn’t see it, he crept back to the highway and started walking up it, thumb out.

It didn’t take long until a car pulled onto the shoulder and stopped for him. It was an older couple with a cross hanging from their mirror.

“Angel, do you need help?” The woman called from the front seat.

He walked over to their window and bent down. “I’m trying to get home to the Outer Banks.” He said, smiling his best smile. “Is there any way you could get me closer?”

“We can get you to Raleigh.” The man called from the driver’s seat. 

“That’d be great, I’d really appreciate it.” JJ said, smiling wider.

“Hop in the back, peachface.” 

* * *

Five hours and three semi-terrifying rides later, JJ finally hopped out of his last ride, a trucker delivering food to a convenience store on the edge of The Cut.

He thanked the driver and went into the store, dying for water and some food. He pulled his last dollar out of his pocket and grabbed a water bottle, shoving two protein bars in his pocket. He paid for the water and headed towards the door, planning on heading into the woods that led to Rixon’s. He knew he was hours late, but he hoped Kie and Pope would still be there. 

Before he got to the door, he heard the roar of a bike, freezing when he saw Barry pull up in front. He froze, unsure of whether he could hide inside the store or if he could somehow book it outside and into the woods before he saw him or caught him. His choice was made for him when Barry kicked his kickstand down, looking up and staring directly at JJ before smiling an evil smile. 

JJ looked over his shoulder at the cashier, wondering if he would help him before shaking that thought and shoving the door open, trying to make a break for the woods. Of course he had to be right in the window when Barry pulled up. He had the worst luck and it had only gotten worse this summer. 

The problem with it being almost midnight on the most abandoned and run down edge of the Cut was that no one else was around, except for the cashier, who wanted nothing to do with what was happening outside and a few others who were either drunk or high, trying to get their snacks or their cigarettes and booze and go home. 

Barry wasn’t big, but he was fast and he had pulled out his gun at the same time that he jumped off his bike and grabbed JJ, slamming him against the wall of the store that wasn’t lit up by the only light.

He saw stars as he was thrown into the brick and his head bounced off it before falling forward and back again. He heard the gun cock and felt the cold metal against his chin, keeping his head in place. JJ wished more than ever that he had his gun, deciding that if he made it away from Barry, he would go straight to the treehouse and go get it, tired of being defenseless.

His heart shot out of his chest, but there was something else there. Something that he usually worked at least somewhat to suppress, but he now brought up almost happily. That feeling of being excited to be in danger and be close to death. He welcomed it. That feeling was the reason that he didn’t stay quiet.

“Are you ever actually going to shoot me with that fucking thing or is it just for show, man? Cause I’m starting to think you’re all talk. Just use it already.” He said to Barry.

If he had seen stars earlier, he went to another galaxy when Barry pistol whipped him, crying out in pain, grabbing his head. He was completely blinded by it, crouching down and forcing back the tears of pain that had fallen before attempting to stand back up. 

“Don’t make me use it again, boy, cause next time I do, it won’t be like that. Now if I was you, I’d listen up, cause I’m gonna be real nice and give you two options. I’ve been trying to find your ass for weeks and I’m straight outta patience now. You owe me my motherfuckin’ money and I’m done waiting.” Barry said, pointing the gun back at JJ, only this time, pressing it to his chest. 

“Option one. You work for me and sell product until I say your debt is cleared. Option two. You refuse to work for me, I go and mess up that hot bitch you hang out with and maybe the nerdy one too, and then you still work for me. Unless you’re stupid, they both end with you working for me.” He continued, right in JJ's face. 

JJ felt his anger flare up again and he dropped his hand from his head and almost threw himself at Barry before he realized that that wouldn't help Kie and Pope. He couldn't protect them if he was dead and he was pretty sure Barry wouldn’t just forget the debt if he was out of the picture. He knew he had failed to protect John B. and Sarah before and he couldn’t fail his other best friends. 

“Fuck you. I’ll kill you if you touch either of them!” He said instead, glaring at Barry with all of his hatred and anger. Barry hit him again across the face with the gun, this time across his nose and it started to gush blood. He couldn’t believe that the day was ending with him bleeding, but not because of his dad.

“One or two, motherfucker. I’m feeling all generous, so I’ll give you three days to decide. Find me at my house by Thursday night or I’m coming for your little friends. Rafe, too. I know he’s dying to get his hands on all of you.” Barry said as he backed up, keeping the gun on JJ. He went inside and JJ finally crouched down, crying from the pain and pulling his sweatshirt up to try to stop the blood. 

He sat down on the ground and pushed his palms into his eyes, rubbing them to stop crying, having no idea what to do. He stood up, deciding to try to go to Pope’s instead of Rixon’s when he realized how late it was. He just hoped the Heyward’s would believe that it wasn’t his dad who had messed him up and would let him stay for a few days without reporting him. He knew he couldn’t go near his dad for at least a week after running away like that. Or longer, if he could help it.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t freaking out. He weighed the pros and cons of getting a lecture from Pope about how he should have never stolen the 25k. He decided that he needed to tell him, if only so he knew the danger Kie was in. He knew he had no choice but to start to work for Barry, but the thought of selling drugs to pieces of shit like his dad and Rafe made his stomach turn, even if he knew he would be good at it. 

He stopped at the treehouse and got the gun, relieved that it was still there. He immediately felt safer with it in his backpack as he started the long walk to Pope’s, who lived as far away from where he was on the Cut as possible, right on the edge, near Figure Eight. It was late, but he was hoping he could somehow get to his window and sneak inside without seeing his parents tonight. His face was throbbing like it never had before and he had taken more hits to the face than anyone else he knew. It was worse than when Rafe had almost broken his nose last year or anything his dad had done. 

JJ made it to Pope’s and crept around the back of the house, looking to see if any lights were still on. He knew Pope and Kie would be freaking out that he hadn’t met them at Rixon’s and he hoped they had gone home and hadn’t done something stupid, like go to his dad’s. He would be surprised if his dad was even home yet.

He felt more confident when he saw that there weren’t any lights on and the whole house seemed dark. He walked into the backyard and bent over to look for something that he could throw at Pope’s window. 

“What the hell?” He heard, before he was thrown into the light of a flashlight.

JJ threw up his arms to shield his eyes and was considering just running away and finding Pope tomorrow when the flashlight was lowered.

“JJ? What the hell are you doing sneaking up on my house like that after midnight? I could have hurt you!” Heyward yelled from where he was sitting at their table outside, one hand holding a baseball bat. 

JJ lowered his arms and shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “You trying to beat kids with baseball bats now, Heyward? I was just looking for Pope. He home?” He asked, avoiding looking directly at Heyward. This was the exact situation he wanted to avoid.

“Is he home? It’s the middle of the damn night and he’s been worrying about you since he got back from Wadesboro eight hours ago and you never showed up. We all have. What happened to you?” Heyward asked, and JJ couldn’t see in the dark, but he just _knew_ he was looking at JJ like he was crazy. 

“I’m all good, I was just busy. I just wanted to talk to him, that’s all. I’ll come back tomorrow.” JJ said, turning to walk away.

“Hell no, you won’t come back tomorrow. You can talk to him right now. He ain’t busy. It’s obviously important if you came all the way here, in the middle of the night from your house. That’s where you came from, right?”

JJ looked at Heyward but couldn’t tell what his expression was in the semi-darkness. He had no way to answer his question without causing problems. If he said he hadn’t, he would ask why and if he said he had, he would think his dad had messed up his face. 

“Come inside, I can't see a damn thing out here.” Heyward said, opening the back door and flicking on their kitchen light. 

JJ bit his lip and looked over his shoulder, thinking about just making a run for it. He really didn’t have the energy to pretend everything was okay right now, torn between not wanting to go into the light where it would be obvious he was hurt and needing somewhere to stay and to see Pope.

Apparently, Heyward knew him better than he thought because instead of going to actually get Pope, he just turned his head and yelled for him, watching JJ out of the corner of his eye. 

“Come on in, you’re letting the damn bugs in.” Heyward said to him after they heard Pope yell back. He said damn a lot.

JJ slowly followed Heyward into the kitchen, getting his story ready. Heyward’s eyebrows shot up when he saw JJ in the light, seeing the blossoming bruise on his temple and his bloody nose from Barry. JJ knew it was probably a huge lump and he felt like he needed to explain it.

“I just fell off my bike on the way over here because it was so dark. No big deal.” He said, touching the bump.

“I didn’t hear you come up on your bike. That thing’s loud as hell.” Heyward said. JJ heard Pope thumping down the steps. “You need ice for that.”

JJ hesitated by the door, debating whether he should run or not. 

“JJ? Where have you been? We waited at Rixon’s for like five hours! Are you ok? What happened? Did your dad do that?” Pope said as he came rushing into the kitchen. JJ wasn’t surprised Pope was worried but he couldn’t believe he would say that in front of Heyward after what had happened.

“What? That’s crazy. I’m good, Pope. We got home late and I walked here but some Kooks jumped me on the way, pissed about John B. Sorry I missed Rixon’s.” JJ said. Heyward raised his eyebrows, walking over to the freezer and pulling out some ice. If he noticed the story change, he didn’t say anything. While his back was turned, JJ gave Pope a look and mouthed Barry’s name, hoping he could help him. Pope looked even more worried at that. 

“Is your nose broken? Come get ice!” Pope said frantically.

“Pope, relax. I’m fine.”

“Sweetie? What happened? We’ve been so worried about you! Let me see.” Mrs. Heyward said as she came into the kitchen in her bathrobe, walking towards JJ. JJ took a step back without thinking about it and Pope put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. 

“My mom knows what she’s doing, trust me. Let her help you, JJ.” Pope said. 

JJ tried to relax, letting himself be taken to the sofa and looked at. He held himself really still as she touched the area around his nose and tipped his head back. 

“Since the bleeding stopped, I’m just going to give you this wet washcloth. Wipe the blood off and then we’ll put ice on it and your head on and off all night.” Mrs. Heyward said, hovering over him. “I’m so glad you’re here now. I was terrified thinking about you in juvie all this time and going with your dad. Are you hungry?”

JJ didn’t know what to answer first, trying to think of how to make the Kook story more realistic, anxious that she was bringing up his dad like that.

“All night?” Pope asked before he could answer. 

“Yes, all night. It’s already midnight and well, I mean, JJ, you’re staying here tonight and if I have my way, forever. We can talk more tomorrow, but I think we all know what happened here and I’m honestly done with it. No more. Not on my watch am I letting this continue.” She said and he saw the anger there and his instinct to protect his dad came up so he stuck to his dumb story.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Heyward. It was just some Kooks.” He said, before faking exhaustion. “I’m tired as shit, though. Is it cool if Pope and I head upstairs and I crash on his floor?”

He saw Mrs. Heyward physically bite her tongue before exchanging some looks with Heyward, not even trying to hide it. 

“Yeah, but keep it down cause some of us actually like to sleep at normal hours instead of sleeping till noon everyday, like Pope.” Heyward said, looking away from her. JJ and Pope were up and out of the room before he even finished the sentence. 

“No problem, Dad. Goodnight!” Pope called as they ran up the steps. 

They went into his room and he closed the door, turning to JJ with a frantic face. “Alright, spill. What the fuck is going on? And please, I’m begging you. Tell me the truth. I can’t handle any more stories right now, I need to know what really happened. So does Kie.”

JJ ran his hands through his hair and kept them there, pacing in Pope’s room. “We’re all fucked, Pope. Well, I’m fucked more but I’m worried it won’t be enough and he’ll get you guys if I fuck up.” 

“What? Who? Barry or your dad? Just tell me what’s going on!” Pope said, grabbing JJ by his shoulders and stopping him.

“Fucking Barry, Pope! He pistol whipped me and told me I have three days to tell him if I’m going to push product for him until he decides my debt is cleared! He said if I refuse, he’ll hurt you and Kie and still make me work for him! I don’t know what the fuck to do!” JJ knew his voice was too loud, but he felt panic rising up. All of his emotions from the past month, even the past two months as they searched for the gold were coming up and he couldn’t keep them under control anymore.

“JJ, stop. Take a deep breath, man. You’re panicking. Look, watch me. Take a deep breath in. And let it out. Keep doing it.” Pope kept his hand on JJ’s shoulder and kept showing him how to breathe until he was doing it on his own. JJ wondered at what point he had become someone who ‘panicked’ and needed to be shown how to breath. 

JJ sunk onto Pope’s bed and rested his elbows on his knees, one hand holding the ice pack to his nose, the other in his hair.

“Let’s deal with it in the morning, man. Do you want to take a shower or something? You hungry?” Pope asked him as he sat down next to him on his bed.

JJ kept his head down and shook it, holding the ice pack to it and squeezing his eyes shut. He loved being around Pope, but it just reminded him of everything that was going wrong and he missed John B. It was too much to handle.

“I’m just gonna go. I can’t handle this.” JJ said after a second. 

“Go where? Home? Who really did this? Barry or your dad?” Pope asked.

“Barry! I thought my own fucking friend would believe me. Shut up about my dad!” JJ said, getting his backpack. 

“JJ, wait! Seriously, wait. You just got here! I believe you. But we’re gonna have to tell my parents about Barry.” Pope said. 

“I can’t tell them about Barry, Pope! You think I can tell them I stole fucking 25K from a drug dealer and I owe him it back?! Have you lost your mind?” JJ said to him as loudly as he could without them hearing.

“Then let’s say it’s your dad and get you away from him! You could live here with me, for real. No more of your dad!” Pope said to him, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to turn towards him. JJ didn’t know what part of the past few weeks Pope hadn’t understood. 

“No, Pope! Fuck off! I love my dad, I’m not gonna lie about this shit and get him in trouble. I just need to wait for him to cool down and then I’m going back there. You messed up everything by telling your parents that shit!” JJ said, pulling away. 

“JJ, he’s abusive.” Pope said, using the new word he and Kie had been trying out lately that pissed JJ off like no other. Mostly because he knew that was exactly what his dad was. JJ couldn’t believe that Pope was continuing on instead of apologizing again.

“He didn’t do this, Pope!”

“But he does all the time and he’s gonna keep hurting you. Just stay here! I bet you can still visit him and stuff! When he’s not being crazy.” Pope said. 

“Shut up, Pope! Just stop. Can we just go to sleep? I literally haven’t slept in a real bed for a month. I just wanna go to bed, wake up, get a shit-ton of weed from Jordan and then we can talk. After I call John B, cause I can’t deal with this shit.” JJ said, collapsing onto Pope’s bed. 

“We can’t call John B, JJ. He has to call us.” Pope told him cautiously and JJ’s stomach sunk when he remembered, fighting back tears. He and John B. had officially passed their marker for the longest time without talking to each other and he needed him more than ever. 

“Awesome. Well, since I got nothing going for me, at least let me sleep and get weed. I’ve missed that shit so much, you have no idea.” JJ said, eyes closing before he realized he had stolen Pope’s bed.

“Shit. Lemme move. Just gimme a pillow or some shit and I’ll sleep on the floor.” He said, trying to get up the energy to sit up, eyes already closing again. 

“Shut up, JJ. Stay right there and sleep. _I’ll_ sleep on the floor. I’ll get ice packs for you, too. That’s what I’m here for, okay? Let me help you.” 

JJ was already asleep before Pope had finished his sentence, feeling safe for the first time in months. 

* * *

It was seven in the morning when JJ woke up to Pope’s phone ringing. He didn’t know how long it had been ringing for, but he knew that he had been hearing it in his sleep and that Pope wasn’t waking up so he rolled over on the bed and reached down for it, hoping it was John B. 

He saw a weird number and answered it without thinking, shoving it up to his ear before it could go to voicemail. “John B?” He said, holding his breath. 

“JJ?” He heard back. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that a tear fell down his face at hearing his voice. Even though he knew Kie and Pope had been telling the truth, actually hearing from him felt like he had gotten the news that he was alive all over again.

“Holy shit. Are you coming home? Are you guys ok? What’s it like in the Bahamas? Are there any hot girls? Did you find the gold? You didn’t get hurt, did you? Is the weed good down there? Is-” JJ started shooting off every question that ran through his mind, beyond excited to talk to him again after so many weeks.

“JJ. JJ! Shut up and let me answer, okay?” John B. said, but JJ could tell he was smiling and he smiled back. “We know where the gold is, but it’s impossible to get to it and it’ll take months. We think our best bet is to come home, and try to get Ward and Rafe put in jail so we can clear our names. Then, if we can prove that we found the gold first, it’ll be ours!” 

JJ got excited too, down for any plan that involved getting his best friend back, getting the gold and getting Ward and Rafe locked up. 

“Hell yeah! Can you guys fly back? Do you have money? I can steal some shit and pawn it off to send cash, just say the word and I’m on it.” JJ said as Pope started to wake up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. 

“Is that John B? Is he okay? Where is he? We’re not stealing anything, JJ.” Pope said, fired up already. JJ smiled and put it on speaker. 

“Pope’s awake, dude.” He said to John B. 

“Hey, Pope. So, we can’t fly back because we don’t know if the police are waiting for us. We’re gonna take the same boat back that we took here when it leaves to go back to the Banks tomorrow. But we need you guys to pick us up and smuggle us back to the Chateau.” John B. said. 

“We’ll be there.” JJ said right away but Pope looked at him like he was stupid and grabbed the phone. 

“The Chateau is a crime scene now, John B. You guys can’t stay there, it’s the first place they’ll find you!” 

“It’s been a month, Pope. No way are they still outside of it! Everyone thinks they're dead!” JJ said, grabbing the phone. “We’ll be there, bro. Just tell us when. We’ll be there the whole damn day, just to make sure we don’t miss you.” 

“Aw, thanks, JJ. I missed you too, sweet potato.” John B. said and JJ could hear his stupid smile again before he paused. “Shit, I’m so focused on this fucking gold I didn’t even realize you’re out! Pope and Kie told me how the Sheriff's department sent you to Wadesboro for nothing. Are you okay? Why’re you at Pope’s? What’d your dad do? I’m gonna kill him when I get back if he touched you, I swear to god.” 

“Relax, dude. I survived and I’m with Pope so you don’t need to worry about me. Just focus on getting back, okay? And when you do, be ready to smoke up and go wild because we have some shit to make up for.” JJ said, avoiding Pope’s stare when he didn’t mention Barry. 

“Of course you go to juvie and all you talk about is smoking up. You better stay with Pope, JJ. He said his parents want you to stay there. Just do it, bro.” John B. said before pausing and they heard Sarah’s voice. “Is Kie there? Sarah wants to talk to her.” 

“Nah, she’s not in Pope’s room at seven in the morning. They haven’t taken it that far yet. I’m the only face he gets to wake up to this morning.” JJ said, laughing when Pope shoved him off the bed. He grabbed on like a spider monkey and fought him off. 

“Damn. I still can’t believe it. Pope and Kie? And your horny ass was always trying it with Kie, JJ. This whole time she just wanted some maturity.” John B. laughed at him and JJ rolled his eyes.

“It’s cool. Pope can just shatter the “No Pogue on Pogue Macking” rule. We all know it was made just for us white boys. All we can do is respect it.” JJ said, laughing at Pope when he tried to grab the phone back. He stood up to avoid him. 

“Shit. I gotta go, this dude needs his phone back. I’ll call back soon with the times for when we’ll get home. Stay out of trouble, JJ!” John B. said before they heard the dial tone. 

JJ pretended it didn’t leave an empty feeling to have to stop talking to him so fast and threw Pope’s phone back at him. 

“We’ve gotta figure out how to get those pieces of shit, man.” JJ said to him.

“We will, JJ. But what are we gonna do about the piece of shit that wants his 25k?” Pope said, looking stressed out. If JJ had weed, he would offer it to him. He went over to his boots, pulling them on so he could go get some. 

“We’re gonna destroy all of them, Pope. I’ve got a plan.” JJ said, picking up his backpack.

“Oh my god. What plan, JJ?” Pope said, trying to find his shoes. JJ almost laughed at how he got them without even knowing where he was going. 

“I work for Barry and make a shit-ton. Then, we use it for a fancy ass lawyer for John B. and Sarah. And when they’re free and we’ve got the gold, bam! We put Barry’s ass in jail, dude. Easy as pie.” JJ said confidently. 

“Okay...the only problem is that we can’t exactly put Barry in jail _after_ you start working for him since you’re on probation, JJ. You’ll be arrested, too. For like, a long time.” Pope said, shoving shoes on.

“You got a better solution, Pope? Cause I’m not seeing a way out of dealing for him. I won’t get caught, the cops don’t give a shit about the drugs on the Cut and the Kooks pay them off and you know it. I bet Shoupe’s his biggest customer, man.” JJ said, popping the door open to cut the conversation off. “You coming or what?”

“Where? Can’t we just have a normal morning? Like, eat breakfast before we go all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?” Pope groaned. 

“I ain’t had any weed in four weeks, Pope. Where the hell do you think we’re going?” JJ said over his shoulder. He ran straight into Heyward. 

“The hell you ain’t going to get weed. Not in my house.” Heyward said and JJ walked to the stairs. 

“I won’t be in your house, Heyward. Thanks for letting me stay last night, but I’m good.” He lied. He figured he would have to go back to the treehouse until John B. came home and then he could join him and Sarah at the Chateau. 

“Uh-uh, hold up! Just come downstairs and eat first and then we’re gonna talk about the situation with your daddy. We talked to your grandma this morning too and she agrees that you should stay here, at least for right now.” Heyward said and JJ got nervous that they had talked to Mimi about it, lashing out. 

“You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my dad.” He said, knowing he sounded like a little kid, but unable to come up with anything else. 

“I know I’m not your damn dad, I’m not trying to be. But we need to make sure you’re safe. Just come downstairs and we’ll eat first. I know you gotta be starving.” Heyward said, talking to him like he was a stray dog. 

JJ took advantage of being near the steps and hopped down them and got to the front door before Heyward or Pope could stop him. He was glad their house wasn’t big. 

“I’d love to talk, but I gotta go, Heyward! Thanks for the bed. Pope, I’ll text you, dude!” JJ said, slamming the door and taking off running. 

“JJ! Get your ass back here!” He heard Heyward yell from the doorway after a minute. 

He did what he did best and ran from his problems, solidly high an hour later before heading to Barry’s trailer. 

If he had to work for him, he might as well get a head start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was full of assholes! So full. They have to be here in the beginning of the story because they are the reasons why JJ starts to get away from his old lifestyle. One down, two left for him to get away from.
> 
> Next chapter...JJ starts working for Barry and he's good at it, Pope and Kie blackmail him into staying at Pope's and it kind of works (for a little bit) and there's a Pogue reunion when they help John B. and Sarah get back safely!
> 
> Kie and Pope aren't together and won't be in this story...but JJ doesn't find out until next chapter! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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